Towards the end of 1793, several meetings of the
British Convention were held in Edinburgh. At one of them (5th December)
the Magistrates interfered, dispersed the Convention, and apprehended
ten or twelve of the members, among whom were several English delegates;
but who, after examination, were liberated on bail. The Magistrates at
the same time issued a proclamation, prohibiting all such meetings in
future; and giving notice to all persons "who shall permit the said
meetings to be held in their houses, or other places belonging to them,
that they will be prosecuted and punished with the utmost severity of
the law." Notwithstanding this proclamation, another meeting was
summoned by the secretary, William Skirving, to be held in the cockpit,
Grassmarket, on the 12th of December. On this occasion the Magistrates
again interfered, and apprehended several of the members ; some of whom
were served with indictments to take their trial before the High Court
of Justiciary. It was about this time that Watt and Downie became deeply
involved in those transactions for which they were condemned. After the
dispersion of the British Convention, they became active members of a "
Committee of Union," designed to collect the sense of the people, and to
assemble another Convention. They were also members of a committee,
called the "Committee of Ways and Means"—of which Downie was treasurer.
In unison with the sentiments of the London Convention, it appears, the
"Friends of the People" in Edinburgh had abandoned all hope of, or
intention of further demanding, redress by constitutional means; and the
more resolute of them began to entertain designs of an impracticable and
dangerous nature. Of these wild schemes Watt was a principal and active
promoter.

The first attempt of the Committee was to gain the
co-operation of the military, or at least to render them neutral; for
which purpose they printed an address, and circulated a number of copies
among the Hopetoun Fencibles, then stationed at Dalkeith. The regiment
was about to march for England. The object of the address was to excite
the men to mutiny, by persuading them that they were sold to go abroad;
and that, if they revolted, they would get thousands to assist them.
John Geddes, a witness, and one of the soldiers, said he read the
address. Some of the words it contained were—"Stay at home! O! dear
brothers, stay at home!" A plan was also formed, by which it was
expected that the city, together with the Castle, would fall into the
hands of the "Friends of the People." The design was as follows:

"A fire was to be raised near the Excise Office,
which would require the attendance of the soldiers, who were to be met
on their way by a body of the "Friends of the People;" another party of
whom were to issue from the West Bow, to confine the soldiers between
two fires, and cut off their retreat. The Castle was next to be
attempted; the Judges and Magistrates were to be seized; and all the
public banks were to be secured. A proclamation was then to be issued,
ordering all the farmers to bring in their grain to market as usual; and
enjoining all country gentlemen unfriendly to the cause to keep within
their houses, or three miles of them, under penalty of death. Then an
address was to be sent to his Majesty, commanding him to put an end to
the war—to change his ministers—or take the consequences."

Before this extraordinary project could be carried
into effect, it was necessary that arms, of some description or other,
should be procured. Another committee was consequently formed, called
the collectors o( "Sense and Money," whose business it was to
"raise the wind," in order to procure arms. Two smiths (Robert Orrock
and William Brown), who had enrolled their names among the "Friends of
the People," were employed to make four thousand pikes; some of which
were actually completed, and had been delivered to Watt, and paid for by
Downie, in his capacity of treasurer.

Meanwhile the trials of William Skirving, Maurice
Margaret, and Joseph Gerrald had taken place; but it was not until May
that Walt and Downie were apprehended. On the 15th of that month, two
sheriff-officers, while searching the house of Watt for some goods which
had been secreted, belonging to a bankrupt, discovered some pikes, which
they immediately carried to the Sheriff's Chambers. A warrant was then
given to search the whole premises, and also to apprehend the parties.
In the cellar, a form of types, from which the address to the military
had been printed, as also an additional quantity of pikes, were
discovered; and in the house of Orrock, the smith, thirty-three pikes,
finished and unfinished, were likewise found.

True bills of indictment having been found against
Watt and Downie, the trial of the former took place before the Court of
Oyer and Terminer, on the 14th of August, 1794; and of the latter, on
the 7th of September. The facts set forth in the indictments were fully
proven against the prisoners. A letter from Downie—as treasurer to the
Committee of Ways and Means, to "Walter Millar, Perth"—acknowledging the
receipt of £15, in which he gave an account of the riots in the Theatre,
was produced and identified; and Bobert Orrock stated that Downie
accompanied Watt to his place at the Water-of-Leith, when the order was
given for the pikes. William Brown said he made fifteen pikes by Watt's
order, to whom he delivered them; and that, on a line from Watt, Downie
paid him twenty-two shillings and sixpence for the fifteen. Margaret
Whitecross, who had been at one time a servant of Mr. Downie, on being
shown one of the pikes, declared that she saw a similar one in Mr.
Downie's house one morning when she was dressing the dining-room: that
Mr. Downie had come home late the previous night: that Mr. Downie's son,
Charles, came out of an adjoining closet, where he slept, as soon as he
heard her in the room, and took it away; and at this time he had only
part of his clothes on, and did not seem to have any other business in
that room: that she remembers hearing Mrs. Downie ask her husband what
he had done with the large dividing-knife which was found in the
dining-room?—to which he answered, that he had locked it by: that she
never heard her master speak of having such weapons to defend himself;
and when she saw it, she thought she never saw such a dividing-knife
before." A verdict of guilty was returned on both occasions ; and
sentence of death passed upon the prisoners.

Watt suffered the extreme punishment of the law,
according to the form usual in treasonable cases. Previous to his
execution, he made a confession of the extent and purport of the
measures contemplated by the Committees.

The execution of "Watt, which took place at the west
end of the Luckenbooths, was conducted with much solemnity. He was
conveyed from the Castle on a black-painted hurdle, drawn by a white
horse, amid a procession of the magistracy, guarded by a strong military
force. The prisoner, who was assisted in his devotions by the Rev.
Principal Baird, exhibited a picture of the most abject dejection. He
was wrapped in a great-coat, a red nightcap (which, on the platform, he
exchanged for a white one), with a round hat, his stockings hanging
loose, and his whole appearance wretched in the extreme. He was about
the age of thirty-six, and was the natural son of a gentleman of fortune
and respectability, in the county of Angus, but, as is usual, took the
name of his mother. At about ten years of age he was sent to Perth,
where he received a good education; and, at sixteen, he engaged himself
with a lawyer; but, from some religious scruples, took a disgust at his
new employment; and, removing to Edinburgh, was engaged as a clerk to
Mr. E. Balfour, bookseller, whose shop is now occupied by the Journal
Office, and with whom he lived for some years, without any other
complaint than the smallness of his salary. Being desirous of becoming a
partner of the business, he, by the influence of some friends, prevailed
on his father to advance money for that purpose; and then made proposals
to his employer; but his offer was rejected. Having money in possession,
he entered into the wine and spirit trade, and for some time had
tolerable success; but was ruined, it was said, on the commencement of
the war with France.

Downie was pardoned on condition of banishing himself
from the British dominions, and he died in exile. He was married, and
had a family. He bore a respectable character as an honest and
industrious tradesman, and had been twenty-four or twenty-five years a
member of the Corporation of Goldsmiths, during a considerable period of
which he held the office of Treasurer to the Incorporation. His shop was
in the Parliament Square.

Reference has been made to the riots at the Theatre.
These riots commenced on Monday night, the 8th of April, 1794, when the
tragedy of Charles I. was performed. At the end of the second act
several gentlemen called to the band in the orchestra to play "God save
the King," during the performance of which a few individuals did not
uncover. Some of the more loyal portion of the audience insisted that
they should; and from words the matter came to blows. On the next night
of performance (the 10th) some attempts were made to create a
disturbance, which was speedily got under; but on Saturday, the 12th,
the democratic party mustered in greater numbers; and preparations had
been made on both sides for a trial of strength. The play— "Which is the
Man"—was allowed to go on to the end without interruption. A few minutes
of ominous silence followed, when a voice at last called out for "God
save the King," and "off hats." This seemed to be the signal for attack.
A general melee ensued, which put an entire stop to the business of the
stage, and created the utmost alarm. "It is difficult to say," observes
the Courant of that period, "which party made the first attack;
it was furious beyond example; each party had prepared for the contest,
by arming themselves with bludgeons; and while the affray lasted, the
most serious consequences were apprehended, as both parties fought with
determined resolution. Many dreadful blows were given, which brought
several individuals to the ground; and the wounded were in danger of
being trampled to death in the general confusion. The party, however,
who insisted on keeping on their hats, being at length overcome, left
the house, and the wounded were carried out. The pit was the principal
scene of action." .A considerable mob were
congregated out of doors anxiously waiting the result.

This comment system requires
you to be logged in through either a Disqus account or an
account you already have with Google, Twitter, Facebook or
Yahoo. In the event you don't have an account with any of these
companies then you can create an account with Disqus. All
comments are moderated so they won't display until the moderator
has approved your comment.